Achieve Your Health Goals with the 90/10 Rule: Avoid These “Dirty Six” Foods for Optimal Wellness

If you’re on a journey to lose weight, attain peak physical fitness, or simply live a long and healthy life, consider adopting the 90/10 rule for your diet. This means focusing on a balanced ratio where 90% of your food intake comes from wholesome, nutritious sources, and the remaining 10% allows for indulgence in cheat foods. Striking this balance ensures you enjoy your diet without feeling deprived or giving up altogether. However, some foods are unequivocally detrimental to your health – let’s call them the Dirty Six.

Fried Potato Products: The Trans Fat Dilemma

Potato chips and fries, often deep-fried with trans fats, pose serious health risks. Trans fats elevate LDL cholesterol levels, lower HDL cholesterol, and contribute to heart disease. Additionally, they spike insulin levels, leading to excess belly fat, and contain acrylamide, a known carcinogen. A healthier alternative? Try making kale chips for that salty and crunchy craving.

Doughnuts: A Recipe for Sugar and Fat Overload

Doughnuts pack a punch of sugar, calories, saturated fats, and carbs, along with added preservatives. Consuming them causes blood sugar spikes followed by cravings and rapid weight gain. Opt for a healthier sweet treat, like a vegan chocolate coconut ball or peanut butter cup, to satisfy your cravings.

Dairy: Not as Innocent as it Seems

Dairy, a top source of artery-clogging saturated fats, contributes to various health issues, including diabetes, heart disease, and Alzheimer’s. It also increases the risk of certain cancers and can lead to estrogen dominance. Swap out traditional cow’s milk for alternatives like almonds, cashews, oats, rice, or coconut milk.

Breakfast Cereal: Not the Ideal Morning Starter

Many breakfast cereals are laden with inflammation-causing sugar and refined carbohydrates. These quickly break down into sugar, causing blood sugar fluctuations, and leaving you hungry, tired, and foggy-headed. Choose a nourishing breakfast like chia pudding or oatmeal with apples and cinnamon instead.

Processed Meats: A Gamble with Inflammatory Compounds

Highly processed meats, such as hot dogs and bacon, contain inflammatory compounds, nitrates, and nitrites, which are carcinogenic. Opt for unprocessed, organic meat sources without additives, and limit your serving size for a healthier choice.

Sugary Beverages: A Sweet Sabotage

Sugary beverages, including fruit juice, can sabotage your diet and health. Stripped of fiber, fruit juices have the same harmful effect on your body as soda. Infuse mint, berries, or oranges into water, or make homemade lemonade with stevia for a refreshing and healthier alternative.

Additional Foods to Avoid:

Vegetable oils, margarine, deep-fried foods, refined flour products, popcorn, candy, coffee creamers, sports drinks, foods with added sugar, and most processed foods.

Considerations:
Embrace a wholesome, plant-based diet for a deliciously satisfying experience. Explore our Simply Healthy Cookbook for flavorful recipes that support optimal well-being.

References:

• Mayo Clinic – Trans Fat
• American Heart Association – Saturated Fats
• Physicians Committee for Responsible Medicine – Health Concerns About Dairy
• National Center for Biotechnology Information – Dairy and Bone Fractures
• Harvard T.H. Chan School of Public Health – Sugary Drinks
• Harvard Health Blog – Artificial Sweeteners

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